Chicago Bears: 5 Reasons Khalil Mack trade will lead to NFC North title
By Randy Gurzi
3. He lets the Bears offense dictate their pace
The Bears made some great moves this offseason to try and be more explosive on offense. They believe they have their quarterback of the future in Mitchell Trubisky and they went and got him weapons.
Receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel could open things up and give Trubisky threats down the field. There’s also Trey Burton who flashed often for the Philadelphia Eagles and is ready for his role as the No. 1 tight end.
More. Khalil Mack: Winners and losers from trade. light
Even with those moves, Chicago still looks like a team that’s best served running the ball and controlling the clock. Over the past two seasons, they’ve tried to do that with running back Jordan Howard, who has run the ball 528 times in that span.
He broke out as a rookie with 1,313 yards and six touchdowns. In 2017, he had 1,122 yards and nine scores. He could have done even more damage if the Bears defense kept them in the game more often.
Mack offers them that chance. With the defense playing at a higher level, Chicago can dictate how they want to operate on offense — rather than trying to play from behind constantly.
Leaning on the run more helps keep pressure off the young quarterback and keeps safeties looking in the backfield which will open things up when they do want to go for the big play. It may not seem like it right away, but Mack does have a lot of value for the Bears offense.